Circadian alterations of reproductive functional markers in male rats exposed to 1800-MHz radiofrequency field.
Qin F, Zhang J, Cao H, Guo W, Chen L, Shen O, Sun J, Yi C, Li J, Wang J, Tong J. · 2014
View Original AbstractCell phone radiation disrupted male rats' biological clocks and fertility at exposure levels typical of everyday phone use.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed male rats to cell phone radiation (1800 MHz) for 2 hours daily over 32 days and found it disrupted their natural body clocks and harmed reproductive function. The radiation reduced testosterone levels, decreased sperm production and movement, and interfered with the normal daily rhythms that regulate these processes. This suggests that the timing of EMF exposure throughout the day may influence how severely it affects male fertility.
Why This Matters
This study reveals a critical dimension of EMF research that's often overlooked: timing matters. The researchers found that 1800 MHz radiation at power levels similar to cell phone use disrupted not just reproductive function, but the circadian rhythms that govern it. What makes this particularly significant is that the effects were most pronounced when exposure occurred at ZT0 (the beginning of the rats' active period), suggesting our bodies may be more vulnerable to EMF damage at certain times of day. The exposure level of 0.0405 W/kg SAR is well within the range of typical cell phone use, making these findings directly relevant to human health. This research adds to the growing body of evidence showing that EMF exposure can harm male fertility through multiple biological pathways, including the disruption of fundamental circadian processes that regulate hormone production and sperm development.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 0.0405 W/kg
- Power Density
- 0.205 µW/m²
- Source/Device
- 1800 MHz
- Exposure Duration
- 2 h/day for 32 days
Exposure Context
This study used 0.205 µW/m² for radio frequency:
- 20.5Mx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.1 μW/m²
- 341.7Kx above the BioInitiative Report recommendation of 0.0006 μW/cm²
Building Biology guidelines are practitioner-based limits from real-world assessments. BioInitiative Report recommendations are based on peer-reviewed science. Check Your Exposure to compare your own measurements.
Where This Falls on the Concern Scale
Study Details
In this study, we explored the circadian effects of daily radiofrequency field (RF) exposure on reproductive functional markers in adult male Sprague-Dawley rats.
Animals in circadian rhythm (as indicated by melatonin measurements), were divided into several grou...
Via these measurements, we confirmed the existence of circadian rhythms in sham-exposed animals. How...
Thus, our findings indicate potential adverse effects of RF exposure on male reproductive functional markers, in terms of both the daily overall levels as well as the circadian rhythmicity.
Show BibTeX
@article{f_2014_circadian_alterations_of_reproductive_1281,
author = {Qin F and Zhang J and Cao H and Guo W and Chen L and Shen O and Sun J and Yi C and Li J and Wang J and Tong J. },
title = {Circadian alterations of reproductive functional markers in male rats exposed to 1800-MHz radiofrequency field.},
year = {2014},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24117058/},
}